March | 2012 | Graphomaniac – A. Elizabeth West

It’s time once again for the April Blogging from A-Z Challenge!

Blogging from A-Z Challenge Topics – Things I Love/Hate About Writing

Planning ahead is the best way to handle this dude. Last year was rough; I didn’t get my ducks in a row. Not this year.

Every post topic is going to be one thing I love about writing (and maybe one I hate). They might be the same!

If I have to write them ahead of time, so be it. I noted this on August 18, 2011 because while taking my walk the day before, I thought of this game plan.

I’ve learned that if I don’t get those little ephemeral mind-ghosts written down right away, they vanish. I thought of something really cool while mowing once and by the time I got finished and back inside, I’d forgotten it. Nuts!

I welcome comments on my posts, and I invite you to step over to the Terms and Conditions; Comment Policy Page (see link at top and left of this page) before leaving one. Thanks for visiting and I hope to see you back when the Challenge begins!

It’s been a while since I did a vocabulary post. Today’s letter is M, which stands for mother, marker, mythology and muwahahaha.

Madder – a reddish-orange dye or paint color.

The red alert lights on the Enterprise produced a shiny madder glow on Captain Picard’s bald head.

Manticore – a mythical monster with a human head, the body of a lion, and a scorpion’s tail. Yecch!

Why this thing hasn't turned up in a Batman movie, I can't imagine.

Image: via Wikimedia Commons

Mercurial – volatile.

Sylvia’s mercurial nature combined with her neighbor’s loud muffler created a situation guaranteed to end in bloodshed.

Metallurgy – the study of metallic elements.

“Suicide. It’s elementary, my dear Watson,” Sherlock proclaimed. “The dead man had studied metallurgy, therefore he would have known that breathing smelter dust, with its high level of cadmium, would kill him.”

Mhorr (also mohr) – a West African species of gazelle, known for the rings on its antlers. Like goats, mhorr also produce bezoar, a stonelike substance found in the stomach or intestines and believed to be an antidote for poison. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry uses a bezoar to save his friend Ron from death after Ron mistakenly drinks poisoned mead.

I iz in ur stomach, savin ur lifes.

Image : Ivanhoe / Wikipedia Commons

Mickey (also Mickey Finn) – a drink that has been doped to render the recipient unconscious or helpless.

Batman refused the delicious, foamy root beer Joker offered him, in case the clown was trying to slip him a mickey.

Misogyny – hatred or mistrust of women. What US politicians are currently displaying.

Monkery – monastic life, including behavior, routines, etc.

Han Solo’s brash ways did not suit his disguise as a member of the Order of Dai Bendu; he was unable to assume a convincing appearance of monkery.

Morel – a member of the genus Morchella, typically a sponge-shaped mushroom sought as a delicacy. I’ve had them; they’re not bad, considering I usually hate mushrooms.

M. esculenta, the common morel. Or an uncommonly large boogie.

Image: Mary Smiley / Wikimedia Commons

Mucilage – something sticky. Usually refers to glue, but may mean other, more unpleasant substances.

“Earth’s sundew plant produces a sticky mucilage it uses to catch insects, which it then devours,” the Doctor explained. “AlphaBeta IV’s version of the sundew is much, much larger, large enough to—DON’T! MOVE!” He grinned. “If you take one more step, Rory, you’ll be lunch for a plant.”

Mugwump – someone who is neutral, i.e. in politics or regarding controversial issues.

Myrrh – a secretion of the Myrris odorata plant, used in incense and perfumes. In Christian lore, the Three Wise Men, or Magi, brought it along with gold and frankincense (kinda the same thing) as a gift to the newborn Jesus Christ.